Holiday Dinner
by Actrez
Summary: Jack and Sydney have dinner plans but will he show? Please R


Title: Holiday Dinner  
  
Author: Actrez  
  
E-mail: sweetnspicylover@hotmail.com  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them, I'm simply using them for my own entertainment. Please don't sue.  
  
Distribution: You want it you can take it, just let me know where-I like to visit grin  
  
Rating: G  
  
Spoilers: It really doesn't matter when it takes place-lets just say anytime before Mea Cupla but still around Christmas.  
  
Category: General/ Sydney/Jack  
  
Summery: Sydney and her dad have a holiday dinner.  
  
Author note: I know that as far as we know Jack never goes on missions but lets just pretend for the sake of the story that he does.  
  
Special thanks to my friend Jo for reading this over for me!  
  
  
  
Sydney stood up and grabbed her purse after she finished her post mission chat with Vaughn. "I have to go," she said as she slid her coat on, "I'm meeting my dad for dinner."  
  
Vaughn nodded, noticing the glint of happiness in her eyes. He hoped for Sydney's sake that Jack would actually show up this time. "I heard Sloane's sending him to Peru."  
  
"Yea, he's going to be gone over Christmas, that's why we're having dinner."  
  
He nodded, "Have a good Christmas," he told her as they both started walking out.  
  
She turned and smiled, "You too."  
  
* * *  
  
Sydney sat a table near the back of the small Italian restaurant waiting for her father. She glanced around the restaurant again-in case he hadn't seen her-and checked her watch, she'd give him five more minutes before she called him she decided. She picked up her fork and started nervously fiddling with it, wondering if he was just not going to show up again.  
  
Jack Bristow walked through the restaurant toward Sydney. He had sat outside in his car for the past five minutes contemplating whether or not he should really go inside or not. "Sorry, I'm late," he said as he reached her. She turned and looked at him, "Marshall held me up at the office."  
  
"That's all right," she gave him a warm smile, "I'm glad you could make it."  
  
He nodded as he sat down. They ordered and sat in an awkward silence until their food came.  
  
"Francie's getting married," Sydney finally said, attempting to break the ice.  
  
"Francie Calfo?" Jack asked, remembering the girl from when Sydney was younger.  
  
Sydney smiled, surprised that her dad even remembered, "Yea, her and Charlie got engaged on Thanksgiving."  
  
"Tell her I said congratulations."  
  
She smiled again, "I will."  
  
They fell into a more comfortable silence. Every so often Sydney would make a comment about school or her friends and her father would respond.  
  
"I should go," Jack said after their waiter had brought their check, "I still have some packing to do."  
  
Sydney nodded before suddenly remembering something, "Oh, I got you something," she said, turning around and reaching into her purse. She pulled out a colorfully wrapped box and handed it to him.  
  
He opened the box and allowed a slight smile to tug on his lips when he saw a pair of black socks with green holly leaves and red berries all over, "Socks," he said in an almost wistful tone. And she knew that he remembered that when she had been little that had been her gift to him every year, claiming it was her way of adding a little color to his wardrobe.  
  
She smiled, "I figured you were probably out of colored socks by now." A smile slipped past his reserve as he thanked her and she was flooded by the memory of how often he had smiled when she had been younger-before her mom had died. She wondered if it was the loss of her mom or the job with SD-6 and CIA that caused him to stop smiling, or maybe a mixture of both.  
  
He wordlessly handed her a small box and she slid the lid off. A small gasp slipped past her lips when she saw the silver bracelet with turquoise stones. "It was-" he started.  
  
"Moms," she finished softly, remembering how her mother had worn the bracelet everyday and said that it was a symbol of Sydney's parents' love for each other because it was a circle, and circles never end. She slid the bracelet onto her wrist, the metal cool against her skin, and looked up at her dad, her eyes glistening with tears, "Thank you."  
  
He nodded, amazed at how closely Sydney resembled her mother, "Merry Christmas."  
  
"Merry Christmas," she replied softly. He put some money on the table for dinner and started to leave, "Dad," she called and he turned back toward her, only a few feet from the table. "Be careful in Peru."  
  
He nodded, and she smiled, that bright smile that looked so much like her mother's. He gave her a small smile back and left.  
  
The End 


End file.
